The Falls of Lora, beneath Connel bridge

As mentioned yesterday, I have wanted to take pictures of the Falls of Lora for some time. Today Woodpeckers asked me to drive her and the many boxes of books to the charity shops of Oban. As it turned out the timing was such that the water ebbing out of Loch Etive into the sea, 5 miles north of Oban, was creating the 'falls' which are renowned to both spectators and kayakers.

This point is the narrowest place on Loch Etive, which is a 30 km sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, and its depth varies greatly, but can be 600 foot (200m). The name Etive is believed to mean little ugly one from the Gaelic Goddess associated with the loch. The narrow mouth of the loch results in its most unusual feature, the Falls of Lora, where the glaciated valley meets a ridge of hard rock, which is surmounted by the water at high tides. Then the sea flows into the loch providing a series of falls, which recur once the tide ebbs again. For a short period of time there is enough depth of water for boats to sail in and out of the loch. From where I was standing there was a further fall of at least thirty feet down over these beautiful rocks and the seaweed to the water rushing past.

Built in 1905, Connel bridge was the second longest girder bridge in the world, after the Forth Bridge. Because of the relatively short-lived popularity of such structures, it may still hold that title! It was built for the Ballachulish branch of the Callander and Oban Railway, a nominally independent railway line operated by the Caledonian Railway. It crosses the A85 road which runs inland, and then over the Falls of Lora, where a ferry had previously operated when the tide allowed. When first built, cars were transported by being loaded onto railway wagons and made to wait for the occasional train that crossed the bridge. Then, a specially adapted charabanc crossed on the railway tracks. This situation continued until the railway line was closed in c. 1965, when the bridge was given over solely to road traffic.

Helena's mum's house is situated on the opposite north shore of the Loch, about three miles inland from the bridge. So to reach Oban and the south, we must drive over the bridge each time, which is always quite exciting, especially when there are wintry gales blowing. I may walk across the bridge when the tide is incoming to see the water falling into the loch right below our feet. If you look at the map you might get a better idea of the whole situation.

Helena's sister Tanya blipped their mum's house yesterday, rather beautifully. The weather has now changed somewhat.